Crashing Waves
by Lady Lipid
Summary: After meeting Gaimon, the Strawhats are introduced to his "niece", Mei. Apparently gifted with psychic abilities, she's invited to be the crew's cabin girl. OP rewrite with a fancharacter added in. Eventual one-sided Sanji/OC. Please Read and Review!


**AN: I really should be working on that Bleach fic, but...ffff this idea just won't stop distracting me, so here it is! It's a bit of a One Piece re-write, I guess. Although I'm so far behind in One Piece that I probably need some catching up. This'll be following the anime because I don't trust most manga sites and I'm flat broke, so I can't buy all of the volumes I need. It starts from episode 18. I'm also following the FUNimation dub, since I really have no patience for the subs. Please refrain from telling me you hate the dub, because, if anything, it's a hell of a lot better than the 4kids dub. Please keep that in mind. (Even though looking back at the 4kids dub, I must admit that it is hilarious in how serious it takes itself sometimes.)  
Well, wish me luck and I hope you enjoy! I'd appreciate some feeback, so if you'd be so kind as to drop a review, I'd be really grateful!  
The fancharacter that's featured in this story is named Momoka Mei. Here's a link to some information about her, along with a picture:  
http : / / hannahmsucks . deviantart . com / # / d3c3rvr  
Just remove those spaces and you'll be set. The majority of the story will take place in Mei's point of view.**

~~  
Chapter One  
~~

Waves lapped against the rocky shore of Treasure Island, storm clouds swirling around it. A shadow shifts between the trees, the shape of a young girl speeding towards the mountain in the middle of the island. She came upon a second shadow, a man in a treasure chest.

"Uncle," the girl whispered urgently. "A ship, there's a ship sailing towards here."

"Pirates?" the man said. The girl nodded vigorously, to which the man replied; "I see. You know the drill, right?"

"Of course. Leave it to me, Uncle!" and with that, she sped off. The man chuckled.

"Here we go."

The girl waited amongst the trees, keeping an eye on the pirates who docked their ship. Their emblem appeared to be a skull and crossbones with straw hat on it. Their ship was strange in and of itself, having a lamb's head for a bow. The crew themselves were also unusual.

Their captain, presumably, looked to be about an inch or two shorter than she was. He had mussy black hair kept under a straw hat similar to the one on the sail. He was wearing short trousers and a red vest along with a pair of sandals. He had a scar underneath his eye.  
He seemed rather perky for a pirate captain, an ear-splitting grin taking up most of his face.

A girl with chin-length orange hair followed him. She was wearing a pink shirt with white stripes and the letters 'wb' circled in the middle. She had a short beige skirt and high heels.  
She seemed a bit more serious than the captain, if that was even possible.

Behind her, a tall, muscular man looked around. His hair was a shade of green, something that the girl couldn't help but relate to, with her jade-colored hair. He had three gold earrings on his left ear, carried three swords and had a bandana tied around his left bicep. He wore a white shirt with three buttons, all unbuttoned; black trousers tucked into his black boots and a green haramaki that held his swords.  
He had serious eyes. The girl sheltered herself a bit more securely, so he wouldn't spot her. He very nearly did, too.

The final member was no doubt the strangest-looking one. He was tanned, skinny and wore a pair of brown overalls with a white sash tied around the waist. He had curly black hair and a long nose. He wore a dark yellow plaid bandana on his head and a blue and white striped armband.  
He looked like he was the most terrified out of the bunch.

These were no ordinary pirates. If she were to go that far, the girl would call them weirdoes. But she wasn't here to analyze, she was there to drive them off at her Uncle's word. Silently, she flew behind them as they entered the wood.

The girl didn't pay much attention to what the crew were discussing. _Talking about the rumors of the island, most likely._ she thought. When she saw the green-haired man lie down for a nap, she decided he wasn't as serious as she first thought.

A winged panda landed on her shoulder. The girl smiled at it, stroking its' head lightly.  
"You ready, Pan?" she whispered. The panda chirped in approval. "Alright, do your thing."  
The panda perched onto a vine and lowered down by the orange-haired girl, causing her to scream.

"Wh-what's going on?" she asked no one in particular.

"_LEAVE NOW!_" a voice boomed out. The girl in the trees smiled, readying herself.

"Who's there?" the captain shouted.

"_LEAVE, NOW!_" the voice repeated.

"Guys, where's that voice coming from?" the orange-haired girl looked around.

"_I am the vengeful island god!_"the voice said. "_Leave at once if you value your lives!_"

"Island god?" the captain parroted. The voice replied; "_Wait, you guys are pirates, right?_"

"Well, yeah." said the captain. _Uncle, I already told you that they were pirates, why are you even asking?_ the girl in the trees thought, hoping that this crew wasn't the one to unravel their plan.

"_Hah, I knew it!_" the voice cackled. The orange-haired girl quipped; "Why would a _god_ need to ask something like that?" _My point exactly..._ the girl in the trees groaned inwardly.

"_I dunno- wha, I mean, take _one_ more step into the forest! The instant you do, you will_ instantly _recieve my divine punishment! And meet your _doom, _which is my punishment! Wait, uh..._" The girl in the trees slapped a palm to her face. _Uncle, what's gotten into you? This isn't at _all _how this is supposed to go!_

"Okay," the captain said, cocking his head to the side. "That made no sense at all."

"This guy is _weird._" the orange-haired girl said. _Hey, don't make fun of my Uncle!_ the girl resisted the urge to say.

"Yeah, what's his _deal_, anyway?" the captain replied.

"_What did you say, straw-hat boy?_" the voice growled. At that point, the island's animals stepped out of the shadows. They were all hybrids of some sort.

"Wh-what _are_ these things?" the long-nose quivered.

"_They used to be humans,_"the voice answered. "_They came looking for treasure, but all they found was _my wrath!"

"Y-you transformed them?" the long-nose said, getting down on his knees and clasping his hands together. "Then, you _are_ a god!"

"Lookit all these weird things..." the captain mumbled. The girl in the trees felt insulted. _How _dare _you! They're not things, they're my friends, you jerk!_

The captain picked up the lion-pig, staring it in the snout. "So, is this a pig?" he wondered.

"Could be a lion..." the orange-haired girl theorized. _These guys are more perceptive than I thought..._ the girl in the trees noted.

The lion-pig suddenly bit the captain in the face, pulling it back. Instead of bleeding, his face stretched out. The girl nearly gasped out loud. _What in the...?_

"_You stretchy freak of nature!_" the voice yelled. "_What are you?_"

The captain put a finger in his mouth and stretched out his cheek, muttering; "I once at a Devil Fruit, so now I'm a rubber person."  
_Devil Fruit...? _the girl wondered.

"_Yeah, right! A Devil Fruit? I heard those same stupid stories back when I was a pirate, but, uh..._" The girl gaped at what the voice was saying. _Uncle! You're not supposed to say stuff like that!_

"Wait, when _you_ were a pirate?" said the orange-haired girl.

"_I mean, uh, no! I wasn't remeniscing about the old days! Enough of that kind of talk! I don't wanna _hear _about the old days, got it?_" the voice tried covering up his mistakes. _Uncle, you're digging our grave even deeper!_ the girl screamed mentally.

"Are you nuts? _You're_ the one who brought it up!" the captain argued. The orange-haired girl said; "You faker! You sound too dumb to be a god!"

The girl knew that she wasn't supposed to send those spears flying until her uncle gave the word, but she felt like it when the orange-haired girl called him dumb.

"_Shut up!_" the voice boomed in a childish tone. "_If you won't leave, then prepare for my divine judgement!_"

_Now!_ the girl thrust her arms forward, sending wooden spears flying at the crew. Somehow, she missed all four of them.  
_Darn... well, you won't be able to dodge these!_ the girl brought her arms up and thrust them down, sending boulders crashing down from the trees.  
One of the boulders nailed the captain on the head. The girl was about to pump her fist in the air in victory when it turned out that the captain appeared unharmed. Her jaw dropped.  
_H-he's not human...!_ she thought.

"You're really pushing your luck, _god_." the captain said mockingly. The girl gritted her teeth in anger. _Bastard..._

"How are you not dead?"

_Uncle, no!_ the girl cried inwardly. Her uncle had given away his hiding spot!  
"There you are!" the captain said, turning towards the moving bush behind him.

"Don't move!" the island god said. The captain started turning towards him. "I said _don't move!_"  
He whipped out a pistol, firing at the captain's back.

The girl shielded her eyes, never a fan of guns. She heard the captain's shrill cry, followed by a grunt of effort. She felt the bullet whizz past her and shoot into the sky.

She let out an audible breath of confusion, staring down at the captain, who showed no signs of being shot.

"No! That...can't be!" the god cried.  
"Hey, island god," the orange-haired girl said, her hands on her hips. "Even _mortals_ know that bullets can't hurt a rubber man!"  
_You've got to be kidding me! What's _with _these guys?_ the girl thought, staring at them wide-eyed.

"Maybe not, but I still _hate_ 'em." the captain said, placing a hand on his hat.

"You're some kind of monster!" the island god said, letting out a cry and tossing his pistol at them, running off.  
"Over there!" the long-nose pointed towards her uncle. The captain took off after him.

"Uncle!" the girl shouted, leaping from her perch and flying after them. It gave the crew a clear view of her; pale skin, long jade hair in a french braid, orange shirt with a black vest and jeans; but she didn't care, she needed to keep her uncle safe.

She caught up to the island god and picked him up, flying him towards the end of the island.  
"Hey, wait!" the captain yelled after them.

"Uncle... are you alright?" the girl whispered, placing the god down in a bush near a tree and kneeling down next to him.

"I'm alright, Mei... it's just those guys... they made me mess up." he replied.

"I never doubted that for a second- shh, someone's coming!" Mei whispered, flying up into the tree, the god disgusing himself as a bush.

The click-clack of sandals showed that it was the captain. _He followed us all this way?_ Mei thought.

"Where did they go...?" he muttered. The god tried scooching away, stepping on a branch that let out a loud crack. The captain whipped his head around, spotting him. He walked towards the god, the orange-haired girl and the long-nose having finally caught up.

"What is this?" the captain mused.  
"Could it be the...island god?" long-nose replied.

The island god started running off, to which the orange-haired girl gasped; "It's moving!"  
Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side today, for he ran into a tree, knocking him down. Mei leapt from the tree she was in, floating down next to him and standing him up.  
"Uncle..." she said, concerned.

"What the- where did she come from?" said long-nose.

The sky started to clear, revealing the god's face. His face was dark and round, framed by his green afro. He had a black unibrow and a dark, scraggly beard. He was missing a tooth. The most prominent thing about him was the fact that he was trapped in a treasure chest.

"It's a person!" said the orange-haired girl. "Awesome! He's like a talking scrub-brush!" the captain replied.

"Of course he's a person, he's my uncle! Don't make fun of him!" Mei yelled at them. The orange-haired girl seemed taken aback by this quip, the captain merely grinned.

"Huh... I'll let you off with a warning this time!" said the god, glaring at the group. He started running off, taking Mei by surprise. "Uncle, hey!"

"Wait!" the captain said, grabbing the god by the back of the chest.

"Hey, don't touch him!" said Mei, glaring at the captain. The island god kept running, eventually dragging the captain off of his spot and sending him crashing into the god, flinging them both off of the edge of the island and toward the water.

"Uncle!" Mei cried, running after them. The orange-haired girl and the long-nose also came running after the two, crying; "Luffy!" Presumably their captain's name.

Luffy grabbed onto a branch that jutted out of the island's rocky wall, stretching down and then flinging the two up and into the sky.

Mei gingerly placed a bandage that she had gotten from the orange-haired girl, who she learned was named Nami, over a bump on the god's head.

Luffy and the god had had a rough landing, but Luffy didn't seem injured at all. Mei smoothed the bandage over his forehead, smiling kindly at him and saying; "Feel better, uncle?"

He grunted. He was surrounded by the island animals, the lion-pig and the rooster-wolf licking the sides of his face. Mei giggled at the sight, scooching back and giving him some space. She turned around to face the crew, putting on an about-face.

"You're a pretty popular guy, Mr. Island God." said Nami, who was sitting on the ground a few feet away.  
"So let me get this straight," said the long-nose, whose name was Usopp. "These crazy animals and this girl you call your niece helped you scare off the pirates who came looking for treasure?"

"I've never seen a person stuffed inside a treasure chest before..." said Luffy, who sat on a tree stump near the god. "You're a real-life jack-in-the-box!"

"Yes, ironically, I am, in fact, in a box and my name is-" he started to say, only now realizing what Luffy had said. "YOU IDIOT! I'm a _person,_ not a _toy!_"  
"Please don't make fun of my uncle," said Mei. "He's a very nice man. His name is Gaimon and my name is Momoka Mei, nice to meet you." she bowed slightly.

"Yes, well... I've been stranded on this island with my niece and stuck in this contemptable box...for 20 years!" said Gaimon, regaining his annoyed demeanor.

"_That_ long?" said Nami in disbelief.  
"Well... I've only been here for ten years." said Mei. "He's not really my uncle, but ever since I came to this island, he's been here for me, so he kind of feels like a second father to me."

Usopp had taken out a thermos after Mei had finished and took a swig from it, letting out a sigh. "So you two have been here all alone for such a long time? Amazing!"

"Yeah, just take a look at me... I've got a beard like a wildman. And, besides Mei, you're the only people I've ever had a _real_ conversation with." said Gaimon, closing his eyes. "Can you _understand_ how painful that can be sometimes?"

"That's ridiculous." Luffy said simply.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Gaimon yelled furiously. Mei sighed contently. _I feel happy for him. This is the first time he's been with someone different, and he's handling it well..._ she thought.  
She then heard footsteps approaching. She turned to see that green-haired man, scratching the back of his head and yawning.

"Ahh, there you are, I've been lookin' all over for you guys." he said.

"Ugh," Nami scoffed. "How could you have slept through everything that's just happened?"

The man gave her a sideways glance, grabbing Usopp's cup and sitting down on a rock, sipping from it.

After he took a second look and saw Gaimon and Mei, he jumped back.  
"What the _heck_ is that?" he said, gaping at Gaimon.

"He _finally_ sees him..." Nami muttered. Luffy pointed at Gaimon with his thumb and said; "Check it out, he's in a treasure chest!"

"Like a jack-in-the-box...but real!" the man breathed.

"Yes, ironically, I am, in fact, in a box and my name is-" Gaimon started, just now noticing what he said. "YOU IDIOT! We've already been through all that!"

In the blink of an eye, Luffy had stepped behind Gaimon and hooked his fingers in his mouth. "Zoro, gimme a hand!" he said. The man, named Zoro apparently, got up and grabbed Gaimon by the hair. Together, Luffy and Zoro started pulling.

"H-hey! Get off him!" Mei shouted. When they wouldn't let up, Mei thrust her hands back and forward, sending Zoro and Luffy flying back and away from Gaimon.

"Uncle's been in there for so long that the chest has become part of his body!" she exclaimed. "If you break the chest, you'll break him, too!"

"Heh, sorry," said Luffy, pushing himself up. "Looks like you're stuck in there."

"DON'T BE STUPID!" Gaimon shouted.

"You're a strange little man..." Zoro mumbled, pushing himself up as well. "And just what the hell was that, huh? How did you get us off him without touching us?" he asked Mei.

"Oh! Um... sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you if I did!" Mei cried. "I have these powers... telekenisis, I think it's called... it means I can move things with my mind... B-but I can't move them without using my hands to direct them. I-I'm really sorry, honest I am!"

"Alright, alright, enough apologizing. We're fine, I was just curious." said Zoro, raising an eyebrow. Mei blushed a bit, turning away.  
"O-oh... I see..." she whispered, twiddling her fingers.

"That's cool! Hey, hey, make me float in the air!" Luffy said, clapping his hands in excitement.  
"A-alright..." Mei moved her hand towards Luffy, palm-up. Then, slowly, she raised her hand up, bringing Luffy up and off of the ground a few inches.

"Whaaa! So cool!" he shouted. This broke Mei's concentration, making her lose her hold on him and making him fall back down.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Are you okay?" she quickly apologized. Luffy merely grinned.  
"That was awesome!" he laughed. Mei smiled, laughing along with him.

"Ergh... alright, guys, enough about us. Who are you? You're not like any of those other pirates that've come around here, that's for sure." Gaimon grumbled. Mei stopped laughing.

"Oh, that's right." she quietly agreed, floating back towards Gaimon.

"I'm Luffy. I'm gonna be king of the pirates." said Luffy, sitting back down on the stump. Gaimon gaped at him.

"You're _what?_"he said, shocked. Luffy continued; "I'm gonna find the One Piece, and become king of the pirates."

"The One Piece? Don't tell me you idiots are actually planning to sail on the Grand Line!" Gaimon shook his head in disbelief the best he could.  
"Isn't that the place where many pirates have gone and never came back?" Mei wondered quietly.

"Yep. We've got a chart right here." Luffy held out a rolled-up piece of parchment.

"Don't be such a fool," Gaimon said lowly, pointing at Luffy. "The Grand Line's a graveyard! I once saw a group of pirates who managed to escape that horrible place, and I'll never forget it!

"It was an awful sight," Gaimon continued. "They were just the hollow shells of the men they used to be. There's no telling what horrors they witnessed in that ghastly place! Not _one _among them even _tried_ to speak."

With this grim warning, Gaimon had managed to catch Luffy's full attention. Mei shuddered, having heard this story. She remembered that Gaimon told her that he tried talking to one of the men, but they merely stared into him-not _at, _but _into_ him- with their dead eyes. He said it was the worst kind of chill one can ever imagine.

"Now listen to me well, young pirates..." said Gaimon. "The rumors of the One Piece...spawn _more_ rumors, who _knows _what's true! It's been only twenty-odd years since the start of the Great Pirate Era, and the One Piece is already a dream within a dream, beyond a legend."

Waves continued to lap against the shore. Mei sucked in a deep breath. "Um... I've also heard stories about the Grand Line." she admitted. The crew turned their attention to her.

"I heard it... no, I _saw_ it happen... when I was about six years old. On my home island of Shi'non, our village leader, Sao, once had a brother named Li. He was a bright man, he loved entertaining all of the kids in the village with stories that his father told him.

"He used to always talk about how he wanted to sail on the Grand Line, how he wanted to find treasure to show everyone here. He did, eventually, find a crew and sailed away. Not even a year later, he came back... h-he wasn't the same." her voice trembled as she stared at her feet. "His eyes weren't bright blue like they used to be. They were...black. Just pools of black. He didn't want to talk to the kids anymore, he just wanted to sit in his room by himself. Not even his own brother could get through to him. And then... h-he... he shot himself."

Luffy looked as if he were engrossed in this story. Zoro's face didn't change. Usopp and Nami seemed to be the only ones who were mildly disturbed.  
"So you see," Mei continued. "Even strong, smart men can be completely broken by that place. Every year after that, we'd talk about how brave Li was. But we'd never mention where he went. If you _are_ going to the Grand Line... just remember that even you can be killed. Not literally, but emotionally and mentally."

Mei looked back up and saw Luffy grinning. "You don't need to worry about us. We can take anything that the Grand Line has to throw at us."

Not seeing any point in arguing, Mei smiled and said; "You _do_ look like a strong group. Even if you don't find the One Piece, I'm sure you'll find plenty of treasure."

"That's the best plan," said Nami. "After all, that's really the only reason we should even bother considering making it to the Grand Line."

"You can go ahead and do that," said Luffy. "I'm gonna find the One Piece."

Nami wrinkled her nose at him in disbelief. "Where _do_ you get that confidence of yours?"

"I'll get it, you'll see." Luffy said triumphantly. Nami huffed; "Whatever you say..."

Mei noticed the stare that Gaimon was giving Luffy, who grinned at Nami.  
"Uncle...?" she said quietly, scooching towards him.

"You're me." Gaimon said. Luffy grunted in confusion. "You're _exactly_ like me! You even _look_ like me, we could be twins!"

"How can you say he _looks_ like you?" Nami exclaimed, walking towards him.

Gaimon ignored her and said; "Young man, I understand about the pursuit of your dreams! When I was a younger man, I used to feel the same way!"

Nami and Luffy stared at him, a bit dumbfounded. "What do you mean 'we'?" Luffy asked.

"We were willing to put our _lives_ on the line to search for treasure!" Gaimon elaborated. "It was that single-minded seal that changed the course of my life forever!"

"Wait...slow down, what are you talking abou-" Nami started, but Gaimon interrupted her.

He told the story of how, when he was a pirate, his crew searched this island for its' treasure for a whole month, only finding one, empty treasure chest. On the day they were going to leave, Gaimon decided to climb the one mountain that no one else searched. When he reached the top, he saw six treasure chests. He was so excited that as he was shouting down at his crew, he lost his grip on the rock he was holding and fell, landing in the one open treasure chest at the bottom. After he'd come to, his crew had already left him.  
At first he thought that he could have the treaure all to himself, but he then realized that he wasn't able to climb up the mountain while he was stuck like that.

"And after all this time, the fortune I found but only saw for an instant... has never strayed far from my lowly old mind." Gaimon finished. "Pirates have come here countless times to search for my treasure, but fortunately my friends and niece here helped me scare them away... that's how I kept my treasure safe and sound for the past twenty years."

"Hold on," Zoro started. "If your niece here is able to fly, how come you didn't just ask _her_ to fly up and get it for you?"

"Well...we have thought of that." Mei answered. "But I can't fly any higher than about the halfway point of that cliff. And I have really weak legs, so I'm unable to climb up there without getting too tired and falling."  
Mei knew what a terrible lie this was. Of course she could get up there, but... she'd already tried that once, and what she found...  
She shook her head slightly. That was something only she could know for now.

"Yes... it's not her fault, though. She makes up for it by keeping the pirates away if the animals don't scare 'em." said Gaimon. He then realized that the crew here now knew where his treasure was, and that they could take it for themselves.

Just to be sure that they didn't get any funny ideas, Gaimon emphasized; "It's _my_ treasure!"

Luffy nodded, much to Gaimon's relief. "No question. It's your's, all right."

"You know," said Nami. "I _think_ we can help you out. Gaimon, why don't we get the treasure down for you?"

Mei bit her lip as she felt a twinge of guilt. Either way, Gaimon was going to find out. She chose to keep her mouth shut for the time being.

Gaimon gasped. "Wait, do you mean it?"

"Yeah!" Luffy said. Usopp gave Nami a suspicious look. "Nami..." he drawled.

"Hey, aren't you a thief who _steals_ from pirates?" Luffy asked, apparently pointing out the obvious. Nami glared at him.

"How rude!" she said, obviously offended. "I _am_ a thief, but I have a conscience!"

Gaimon looked as if he was on the verge of tears. Mei skewered her eyes shut, biting her lip even harder. She hunched up her shoulders, trying to draw as little attention to herself as possible.  
It didn't seem to work, because she felt someone's gaze piercing the top of her head. She didn't dare to look up to see who it was.

Gaimon, Mei and the Straw Hat crew all rode on the back of the elephant/rhinoceres-tortoise, heading towards the mountain with the treasure.  
Mei had managed to keep herself from being suspected for the most part; Luffy, Nami, Usopp and Gaimon weren't convinced that anything was wrong. But, as it turned out, Zoro was the only one who eyed her with any sort of suspicion.  
_Damn, he's perceptive._ she thought.

"So it's here?" said Luffy as the six hopped off of the rhino/elephant-tortoise.

"Yes, this is the place." Gaimon answered. "It's all up there."

Usopp, Nami and Luffy looked at eachother and down at Gaimon, who said; "The time has finally come. It's a great day! Get to it, Straw-hat!"

"Sure thing. Gum-Gum..." Luffy brought his arm back, suddenly flinging it forward, causing it to stretch. As his hand grappled onto the top of the mountain, he shouted; "Rocket!"

He went flying up, keeping a hand on his hat as he soared through the air.

Mei floated back and away from the line the group had formed and sat down, turning away. _Stop building it up so much. It's just going to be even more painful._ she thought. She felt that familiar pair of eyes staring at her, but she didn't care. She just wanted to get this over with.

Mei wasn't processing any of what the group was saying. When Luffy's voice chimed in, saying that it sucked for Gaimon, the silence that stretched out after the crew's comments seemed to be the perfect time for Mei to confess.

"I'm sorry." she said softly. It was loud enough to be heard, though, since they turned to look at her sulking form.

"Whaddeya mean sorry? _Luffy's_ the one being an ass!" Usopp said. But she knew that Gaimon understood what she meant.

"It doesn't matter... it's all right." said Gaimon.

"It's _not_ all right!" Nami argued.

"Gaimon," Usopp started. "You've been guarding that treasure with your heart and soul for the past twenty years!"

"Straw-hat...Mei... you're both great friends!" Gaimon shouted sadly.

"Wh...what do you mean they're great?" asked Nami.

"I always had an inkling," Gaimon sniffled. "That this might be the case... I tried not to think about it, but still... th-they're empty, aren't they?"

"Yep. Every last one of 'em." Luffy said, sitting down. Gaimon started sobbing, covering his face with his hands.

"I-I'm really sorry I lied, Uncle!" Mei cried, crawling over to Gaimon and wrapping her arms around him. "I r-really wanted to tell you, b-but... I thought you m-might hate me for looking without telling you! I-I wanted to s-surprise you by getting them down, but when I checked...!"

"I-it always happens with treasures with maps leading to them!" Gaimon wailed, apparently not hearing Mei's confession. "You set out to search for it, but then it turns out someone else got to it first! That's the kind of risk you have to take when you're a treasure-hunting pirate!"

Surprisingly, Luffy laughed.

"Try not to be too upset, old man." he said, giving Gaimon a thumbs-up. "It's a good thing we came along. If you waited thirty more years, you might've been dead!"

"St-straw-hat...!" Gaimon groaned.

"Since this treasure hunt's a bust, you and your niece are going to need something else to fill up your time! Why not join up with us and search for the One Piece?" Luffy offered. Mei felt tears spilling down her face.  
_Luffy..._ she thought, touched.

"R-really? You're asking us?" Gaimon stared up at Luffy with teary eyes. He pinched the bridge of his nose slightly and said; "Oh, I know how I must look to you... other people wouldn't even consider talking to me, but you were kind...! It's been so many years since... I've had another friend! TH-THANK YOU!"

"Are you _sure_ you wanna stay on the island, Gaimon?" Luffy asked.

The six had made their way back to where their ship was docked. The sun had already started to set, painting the sky with many shades of orange and yellow and even purple.  
Mei was floating next to Gaimon, who stared up at Luffy and smiled.

"Yes, I'm sure. There's something here that's even more valueable than treasure that I must protect." said Gaimon.

"Worth more than gold?" Usopp asked, bewildered.

Just then, Gaimon was surrounded with all of the animal hybrids that inhabited the island.  
"For the past twenty years, these guys have stayed by my side through thick and thin," he said. "I can't leave 'em! Now that I know there's no treasure here, I somehow finally feel free. Without that heavy burden, I can concentrate on the things that _really_ matter to me!"

"That's too bad... you're a neat guy." said Luffy.

"Well, there is _one_ thing you could do for me, if you don't mind." Gaimon started.

"Sure, anything."

"...could you take my niece with you?"

Mei stared at Gaimon, wide-eyed. "U-uncle?"

"Yeah, we'll take her with us." said Luffy.

"Uncle," Mei exclaimed. "How could you say something like that? Don't be ridiculous!"

"This is no place for you to live out the rest of your days, Mei." said Gaimon. "After the kind of life you've known, you _need_ some excitement, and these guys can certainly bring you some."

"But what about you? If I leave, who's to say that I'll ever see you again?" Mei cried, tears budding at her eyelids.  
After spending the last ten years of her life with him, Mei was not only unsure about the idea of leaving Gaimon, she was flat-out against it.

"Mei." Gaimon said flatly. "You need to go. As your long-suffering uncle, this is harder for me than it is for you. But... I know that this is for the best. We'll see each other again, there's no doubt about that. I have faith that straw-hat will find the One Piece in no time, so there's no need to worry about never seeing me again."

Tears spilled down Mei's cheeks like twin waterfalls. "I don't wanna leave you, uncle. I don't wanna!" she wailed. "You're the only person in my life who openly acknowledges who I am and doesn't judge me for it!"

"Stop being so selfish!" Gaimon yelled at her. "These guys didn't judge you, did they? No, they didn't! They treated you with respect! And, as a token of gratitude for their kindness, you should go with them and help them on their journies. It's the least you could do, so do it!"

"But...but I..." Mei felt as if Gaimon wasn't listening. _Or is it the other way around?_ a voice in the back of her head nagged.

"Mei," she heard her named being called, turning around to see that it was Luffy, grinning at her. "Gaimon is a smart guy. He knows what he's talking about. I know I'd listen to him. And besides, it might be fun with you around. Who knows? So, will you join us?"

Mei was at an utter loss for words. Gaimon was right, these people didn't seem to be judging her; Lord knows she's had plenty of that. But to be thrust away from the one person she's most comfortable with to be with a bunch of _pirates,_ no less? How was she supposed to adapt to that so quickly?

_If it's for Uncle..._ Mei concluded. _Then I... I'll do it. But if they judge me at all, I'm going straight home._

"Alright." Mei sniffled.

Luffy smiled at her. Smiling back (albeit half-heartedly), Mei turned back towards Gaimon, kneeled down and hugged him tightly.

"I'm going to miss you so much, Uncle..." she said quietly.

Gaimon did his best to hug her back. "I'm gonna miss you, too." he patted her on the shoulder. "But you'll be fine with these guys. They'll take good care of you. But remember, you gotta take care of them, too."

Mei nodded into his afro, tears not letting up. She stood back up and turned back toward the Strawhats.

"I'll try not to be a bother to any of you. Thank you for allowing me on your ship." she bowed. "If there's anything specific you want me to do, I'll be happy to oblige."

Luffy touched his chin in thought. "Um... oh, I got it! You can be our cabin girl!" he said, pounding his fist into his palm.

Standing back upright, Mei made a face and asked; "I... have no problem with any job you give me, but what does a cabin girl do...?"

"Let's see..." said Nami. "Doesn't a cabin girl move most of the supplies around the ship and performs minimal duties?"

"Yeah!" said Luffy. "I figured that'd be easy for you, with those powers of your's! Plus you can be the entertainment, making balls fly around and stuff like that!"

Mei felt her brow furrow slightly. _So I'm the entertainment now...?_ she thought bitterly. After processing that she'd be the most useful in performing cabin girl duties, she smiled brightly.

"Alright! You've got yourself a cabin girl!" she said happily.

Gaimon, who knew more about pirate rankings than Mei did, resisted the urge to slap a palm to his face. "Isn't cabin girl the lowest ranking on the ship...?" he muttered.

"What was that, Uncle?" Mei asked, turning around slightly and giving Gaimon a questioning stare.  
Realzing that he might've been caught, Gaimon hurriedly pushed Mei forward and onto the ship, saying; "Oh, shouldn't you be leaving now? It's starting to get late and it's probably going to take a while to sail to your next destination, so you better get moving!"

With that, Mei nodded at Gaimon and boarded the ship along with the others. Mei helped the crew set the sail, and hoist the anchor.

Now part of a group that didn't despise her, Mei found happy tears streaming down her cheeks as she helped. After everything was set, Mei and the Strawhats went to the back of the ship to wave goodbye to Gaimon.

Even though she'd thought that she had gotten over crying about leaving Gaimon, Mei started crying big, blubbery tears once again as she waved goodbye to her longtime friends vigorously.

The sun was finally finished painting the sky with reds, oranges and yellows by the time Treasure Island was well beyond the horizon, the moon now starting to bathe the Going Merry in its' light.


End file.
